4 doctors suspended for ragging after first-year student dies by suicide in Surat Medical College

Four resident doctors at Surat Medical College have been suspended for six months following the suicide of a 29-year-old first-year PG Microbiology student named Dr. Harsh Pandya. The incident, which occurred in the college's hostel, led to an extraordinary meeting of the anti-ragging committee on Monday morning. The suspended doctors, including the Head of the Department of Microbiology, were accused of ragging at least ten first-year students, resulting in mental harassment, verbal abuse, and indecent behavior.

The committee's unanimous decision was forwarded to Dr. Jayesh Sachde, Additional Director of Medical Education and Research, who was overseeing the investigation. The medical college has also issued show-cause notices to four faculty members, including Sangeeta Rajde, Yogita Mistry, and Latika Purohit, head of the Microbiology Department.

The committee's report was submitted to the State Government, and the Minister of State for Health, Praful Pansheriya, set up the high-level committee based on complaints from nine first-year PG students and the deceased's father. Police have filed an Accidental Death report, and further legal action against the suspended doctors is pending.